Tenth anniversary edition of Haitian Reporter

May 2011 edition marks ten years of the BHRMay 2011 edition marks ten years of the BHRThe tenth anniversary edition of the Boston Haitian Reporter hit newsstands across the region on Wednesday, May 11. The edition carries a special section dedicated to the inaugural Boston Haitian Honors event, which will be held on Thursday, May 12 at the Boston Seaport Hotel. Honors will be presented to five outstanding community leaders from Boston's blossoming Haitian community to celebrated the newspaper's milestone and to mark the opening celebration in a long weekend packed with Haitian Heritage Month events.

You can download the full edition of the BHR May edition (PDF format) here.

On May 12th at the Boston Seaport Hotel, the Boston Haitian Reporter will commemorate its first decade in business by launching Boston Haitian Honors, an annual event recognizing exemplary community and civic leaders of Haitian descent who have demonstrated leadership, unrelenting commitment to community service and volunteerism.

The event is co-chaired by Senator John F. Kerry, Governor Deval L. Patrick, Mayor Thomas M. Menino and Dr. Paul Farmer, who will attend the event and offer special remarks to the luncheon crowd, which is expected to draw roughly 300 attendees.

The first recipients of Boston Haitian Honors are Reverend Verdieu Laroche from the First Haitian Baptist Church; Marc Prou, PhD, Associate Professor of Caribbean Studies and Chair of the Department of Africana Studies at the University of Massachusetts Boston (UMass Boston). Dr. Prou directs the Haitian Language and Culture Institute at UMass Boston; and Nicole Prudent, MD, MPH Pediatrician, Maternal and Child Health Haitian Health Institute/Boston Medical Center.

Many other special guests from the community will also be in attendance with special acknowledgements to Edna Etienne from Le Foyer Bakery and Carole M. Berotte Joseph, PhD, from MassBay Community College.

The Boston Haitian Reporter was launched in 2001 with a unique mission: “to explore the Haitian-American experience” with the first-ever, Boston-based news publication dedicated exclusively to one of the region’s fast-growing ethnic communities. The newspaper is part of the Reporter Newspaper family, which was founded by publisher Edward W. Forry in 1983. The Boston Haitian Reporter is led by managing editor William P. Forry and Manolia Charlotin, editor and business manager and is the leading source of news and commentary for the Haitian community throughout New England.

The Boston Haitian Honors event will also serve as an annual convening of people of Haitian descent, as well as friends of Haiti — including many partnering agencies, such as Partners in Health, Partners HealthCare and SEIU, organizations who have assisted the Haitian people both here and abroad and who have been instrumental in making Boston a welcoming destination for Haitians.

The Boston Haitian Honors will help kick-off a weekend of heritage events that celebrate the rich history and culture of the Haitian people. The Thursday luncheon will highlight the upcoming Haitian Flag Day ceremony at Boston City Hall (on Friday) and the annual Haitian Unity Parade in Dorchester and Mattapan on Sunday, May 15 at 1 p.m.